Beaver Lake
Anglers are reeling some big striped bass.
Jon Conklin, fishing guide, said stripers are biting best between the Arkansas 12 bridge and Point 12. Shad or brood minnows are the best baits.
Walleye are finishing their spawn and are migrating into the midlake area. Try for walleye with nightcrawler rigs 20 feet deep along main-lake points. Crappie are starting to spawn in shallow water near brush. Use minnows or jigs. Black bass are in prespawn mode. Try plastic worms, spinner baits or swim baits along flats and the backs of creek arms.
Average surface water temperature is in the low to mid-60s depending on time of day.
Beaver tailwater
Austin Kennedy, fishing guide, said trout are biting well on prepared trout baits such as Berkley Power Bait or Pautzke Fire Bait fished with light tackle
Walleye fishing is hit or miss. Try trolling middiving crank baits downstream from Houseman Access.
Power generation at Beaver Dam is generally in the mornings and afternoons creating good conditions for drift-fishing from a boat.
Lake Fayetteville
Angela Perea at Lake Fayetteville Marina said fishing is good for bluegill, crappie and black bass. Use plastic worms for black bass, minnows or jigs for crappie and worms for bluegill.
Lake Sequoyah
Angler Mike McBride said cold snaps have dropped the water temperature into the upper 50s. He recommends using minnows or jigs for crappie. Use plastic worms or crank baits to catch black bass. Try liver for catfish.
Bella Vista
Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting all types of soft plastic baits fished close to shore at any Bella Vista lake. Use liver for catfish. Try for trout at Lake Brittany with Power Bait.
Please note that fishing in Bella Vista is open only to POA members and their guests.
Swepco Lake
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting a variety of soft plastic lures. Try for catfish with liver, nightcrawlers or cut bait.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good crappie fishing at Lake Tenkiller with jigs or minnows fished around brush, rocks or docks. Black bass are biting well on crank baits, plastic worms, spinner baits and top-water lures worked along points or around brush.
At Grand Lake, black bass fishing is good with crank baits, plastic worms or spinner baits worked around brush, docks, rocks or standing timber. Crappie fishing is good with jigs or minnows around docks or rocks. White bass are biting well on jigs or small crank baits in the Elk, Spring and Neosho river tributaries.
At Lake Eucha, black bass fishing is good with Alabama rigs, spinner baits or plastic worms around brush and rocks. Crappie are biting well on minnows or jigs around standing timber. White bass fishing is good in creek arms with jigs or small crank baits.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing Guide Service said black bass are biting swim baits eight to 10 feet deep over deeper water where bass are chasing shad. Senkos are working along gravel banks in shallow water.
Try spinner baits and chatter baits around wood cover or bushes. Cloudy or breezy days are best.
— Compiled by Flip Putthoff
